Completed [Common Labs] Fetch, Girl, Fetch! (Annalisa)

[Fubuki Kouri]

Common Laboratory, Gug Adjadk, 42nd of Winter 513 A.V, 20th of Bell

Important NoteMonster and Item use approved by Mirage

It was midwinter in the island of Sahova, beautiful white snowflakes falling upon the undead island, providing an eerie scenery as they colored the grounds white, some said white symbolized Death among other things, yet in this very island, Death itself was defied with every tick. In Sahova, the dead walked, the dead ruled, and the dead held enough power to be a reckoned force in Mizahar. They endlessly worked to restore the might of Alahea, an ancient empire before the Valterrian. However, exceptions did exist, not all wizards were undeads, some of them were human, like one Annalisa Marin, a daughter of Rhysol, a sorceress, and the adoptive mother of a phantom Vantha girl, Fubuki Kouri.

"Mistress Marin, I brought the items you requested." A Nuit in a young female human's body with black hair and dull green eyes approached the sorceress from the side, carrying a box necessary for Anna's project that night. The Nuit was Kriemhild, Kouri's personal maid, now obviously Anna's helper as well due to her being Kouri's mother. Kriemhild put the box on a table then politely bowed to the human, "The young Mistress will be here shortly," Anna requested for her daughter after all, Kouri's presence was required in this particular project. Kriemhild was normally quiet, but regarding the ghost who freed her from slavery, sometimes she made an exception, "Mistress, if I may speak, the young Mistress loves you very much, she often tells me on how her mother is the best person in her life, " Since Kouri's real mother already died, "I just want to say... thank you for taking care of her." The Nuit said no more and promptly left the lab.

Five chimes later, the familiar cheerful humming of the Vantha ghost could be heard as the aforementioned phantom girl entered the laboratory, carrying a small glass jar in her right hand, the jar was filled with soulmist, Kouri dipped her left finger in it then consumed it like it was honey, "Mmmmhm~" She cooed at the taste, her crimson eyes looked around then once she spotted her mother, her serpentine hair hissed in delight, "Mommy!" Kouri dashed to the human's side, putting the jar on the table, then hugged Anna with her already materialized body. Of course, she controlled her power so the touch wouldn't be deadly, and even she wanted, the Grand Oath would automatically tone down her power, she could never hurt Anna, directly or indirectly. "Did you wait long? I'm sorry, but Kriem told you I was coming, did she?" The ghost girl giggled, releasing her mother to examine the fascinating devices in the laboratory, "So, what are we going to do today?"

OOCIf there's anything you'd like to change, let me know!

[Annalisa Marin]

There were not many pulsers on Sahova that claim to live rather comfortably where the undead ruled, Anna liked to think she was among those few that did. Wizard Marin had taken up a section of lab space for her own, it was relatively empty this hour in any event which would assist her in keeping her research from prying eyes. Her work tonight was intended to satisfy curiosity first and foremost, to help her better understand the forces under her control. The tall dark haired woman was a wizard that few Masters on Sahova could properly claim to match in terms of raw ability, a thing that was night easily claimed but true nonetheless. Even still she recognized there was much she did not know regarding magic, hence her research tonight.

Her attention was turned upon a particular dark haired Nuit in the body of a young human woman with green eyes. She was carrying a box with her, the item inside gathered from another section of the Common Labs. It was a simple thing all considered and told, however its purpose would assist in illuminating an entirely new dimension. The place that haunted her darkest nightmares at night, that filled her mind even when she slumbered. It was both a wonderful and terrible place, without limits and unexplored by many wizards.

Anna frowned slightly at Kriemhild's address, glancing around to ensure none heard her. For Kouri the address of Mistress was certainly fine but for Anna if the wrong people heard that, they might start to get the wrong idea. Certainly the Sorceress possessed the skill to stand among masters like Roknus Maelstrom, however the silver ring around her right ring finger denoted the rank of Wizard. Probably good to remind her daughter's servant of these things.

"Ah, many thanks, Kriem. You do my daughter proud with your dedicated service. Though, I'd ask you to remember to address me as Wizard Marin in public at the very least. Wouldn't want to give people the wrong idea." Anna said, turning her attention to the compliment and smiling at the Nuit slightly.

If only she understood the truth, of how Anna had become Kouri's mother and how she ensured her obedience. The Grand Oath binding Kouri was a very strong thing, something upheld by the gods themselves. Her daughter belonged to her now, through eternity and beyond perhaps or at least as long as Anna drew breath. An unbreakable bond tied Kouri to her, now that she was the perfect obedient child Anna was finding her much more enjoyable company.

As the Nuit departed Anna took the box and opened it, taking out the long length of thin chain inside and placing it on the workstation. It was a good fifty feet in length, nothing too massive but it would hopefully be good enough for some limited exploration. She had initially planned on using rope, however the Void was a very cold place so the rope could easily freeze and then shatter. Metal could also freeze, but it lasted much longer and was much more durable under stress.

Everything was ready, now all she needed was her daughter to arrive and then they could get started. It was time that Anna figured out exactly what existed beyond the Portals she created. While the sorceress herself could not go to The Other Side, Kouri had no need for things like air and was not effected by extreme cold. If anyone could survive a passage to The Other Side it was her adoptive daughter.

Five chimes after Kriem had left Anna heard Kouri's sing song voice approaching, a light smile overcoming her face. The child let out an excited cry and hurried over to give Anna a hug, wrapping herself tightly to her. A chill ran down Anna's spine, nothing dangerous or harmful but enough to elicit the natural feeling of revulsion when so touched. She pushed aside the feeling and returned her daughter's embrace, chuckling slightly.

"Its good to see you, my daughter, Kriem did indeed say you would be along shortly. Don't concern yourself overmuch regarding how long it took, the important thing is that you are here." Anna said, waving off Kouri's apology.

"Now then, you and I are going to do something a little different today. Do you remember when Mommy opened a portal to that place called the Void? Well, I discovered a while back that there are things on the other side of these portals. Unfortunately, I cannot enter the Void without dying, however you can. So tell me, my precious child, how would you like to do a little exploring for your Mommy?" The tall sorceress asked, smiling calmly at the girl.

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Ehehe~" Oh how she always loved to embrace a warm living human, their body heat did nicely to comfort her cold soul. Though she was completely unaffected by cold and had no need for warmth to stay functioning, the ghost girl desired it from time to time, to get a glimpse on what it was like to be alive. Good thing she was a Vantha who was used to the cold, providing her a decent mental resistance to avoid fatally hugging random people to suck out their warmth, if she was a Benshira who lived in Eyktol... things might be different.

Kouri released the hug then picked the soulmist jar back, sipping the content like tea, "Mhm~ Kriem is nice, isn't she?" Her maid was a good person, rather insensitive and blunt, but most likely because she had little social sense being a Nuit. Being a singer in life, Kouri silently loved attention, she wanted someone to treat her as someone important, Anna personally requesting for her presence definitely counted as one. "Mmmm~" The ghost girl cooed as she finished the jar, it was from Kriem. "Aw..." Kouri turned the jar upside-down then shook it, trying to get another drop, then she sighed, "I have to ask Kriem for more..." It would be for later, for now, her mother required her assistance. Kouri put the jar back and listened to her mother's explanation.

"Uh... I remember..." The ghost girl nervously fidgeted with one of her serpentine hair, the other snakes went silent in anxiety. She wasn't fond of that portal and Void place, it looked scary and empty. The last time she tried to partially enter using a host's arm, the arm froze. It looked fun to watch a slave suffered frostbite, but Kouri wasn't sure about entering it herself. The prospect of unknown 'things' on the other side both intrigued and scared her, she was curious to know what exactly those things were, but of course, she feared the unknown. Anna mentioned it herself, she would die if she entered, but apparently, ghosts like Kouri would be just fine... hopefully.

"Mommy, I..." There was it again, the cloud on her mind, rewiring her thoughts, she felt her anxiety toned down and eagerness shot up for some inexplicable reason. It was enough to sway the girl's mind and snuffed out any arguments she might had, Kouri broke eye contact from Anna as she lowly sighed, nodding her head, "Okay..." At least her curiosity about the Void's contents would be sated.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna was pleased by Kouri's acceptance, noticing once again that the ghost had looked like she was about to say something but changed her words to acceptance. The tall sorceress pulled the girl into another embrace, lightly pecking the girl's cheek and giving her a motherly smile. It was rather easy to fall into this role, she did have her own mother as an example to use in how she interacted with Kouri after all. Liana had been kind, gentle, and very loving which were qualities decidedly not associated with Anna.

"That's my brave little girl. If you do this for Mommy she'll make you some soulmist for being such a good girl." The dark haired woman whispered, pulling out of the embrace and heading to the workstation.

The tall woman placed a hand on the chain, knowing how very dangerous this task could be for Kouri. Anna had no idea the terrors that dwelled beyond the black portals, or the treasures that could lie just within range of grasping. If the portal was severed before Kouri could cross back to This Side... she could very well end up drifting in the Void for eternity. So this would also test her abilities as a Voider, to create a portal large enough for Kouri to go through and then find a way to conserve Djed until she was ready to return to This Side.

Anna held out the coiled chain for Kouri to see, it was a simple thin thing and certainly not the strongest chain ever forged on Mizahar. Perhaps later she could see about finding a stronger one if they decided to make a habit of doing this. Of course, there was also the fact that the Void was a very dark place with no light source. It was going to be a rather difficult journey all told, however Anna was confident it would go over well.

"Right. So first off when I send you over to The Other Side you are going to take hold of one end of this chain and never, NEVER, let go of it while you are in the Void. If you do you could lose track of where the portal to get you back is, and end up getting lost. There is about fifty feet of chain here, so you will be limited by that distance." The sorceress said, pausing for dramatic effect before continuing.

"I will create a Portal large enough for you to cross, but then I will shrink it down to the size of a fist to conserve Djed. When you are ready to return give the chain three good tugs, then I will make the Portal large again and let you cross back. While you are on The Other Side, if you happen to find anything that looks somewhat valuable or at least worth looking at then bring it back with you to This Side." Anna finished, looking at Kouri seriously.

It was simply in theory, however the Void was an alien place and Anna was not entirely sure where her portal would manifest would be safe. The dark haired sorceress had remembered seeing something on The Other Side, the corner that looked like it belonged to a solid structure. Who knew what could lay on The Other Side? In the place where nothingness was the master, and darkness surrounded those within.

"So, before we get started my daughter, do you have any questions? Anything you want to know before I open the Portal and we get started? Tell me now, before you lose the chance." Anna asked, giving Kouri a critical eye.

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Mommy..." Kouri sheepishly giggled as Anna embraced her again, like a scared child who was about to see a physician, she hugged back her mother, closing her eyes as the woman pecked her cheek. She wanted to never let go, to just stay in Anna's embrace for eternity. Kouri was a patient girl, like the ice she was, cold and unchanging, sucking out the warmth of everything around her. Anna's gentle smile warmed her ethereal heart, she leaned in to place her chin on Anna's shoulder while her head tilted to brush it against Anna's own. "Mommy's soulmist, ehehe, I want it," The phantom girl softly whispered into her mother's ears, it was a rather effective way of bribing the ghost girl. Kouri released herself then silently watched her mother preparing.

The long chain brought her attention, Kouri idly wondered on what they were going to do with it, she had a few assumptions though, perhaps Anna wanted her to grab things with those chain in case the object was too far even for her tendrils. "What's that for, Mommy?" In the end, Anna was the best source of information, Kouri didn't want to look impolite so she held back from mentioning her assumptions. The ghost girl reached out her materialized right hand to brush the chain, the metal started to freeze at her touch. She drew her hand back, listening to Anna's explanation.

To be honest, it scared her, how the sorceress phrased the "Other Side", it ran the risk of her lost in there. "M-mommy... I d-don't..." Kouri started to tremble, her fate was literally hanging by a thin metallic thread. Kouri took a step back, her serpentine hair hissing in fright, she wanted to shake her head in refusal, but her mind betrayed her heart, it told her to obey her mother, it would make Anna happy. "G-guh," She shuddered, closing her eyes shut as she stopped, then her feet took her forward once more, a black tendril slithered along her right arm like a snake then reached out to grab one end of chain, tugging to test its strength, "I promise, Mommy." The reluctance and fear in her voice were obvious, yet she accepted.

"N-no, please don't shrink it! I... I, p-please, I don-... I mean, ah..." In this moment, the effect of the Oath was clear, it was forcing the ghost girl to do the task whereas normally, Kouri would not even consider it. After about fifteen ticks of stuttering and struggling against herself, Kouri audibly gulped and looked down on the ground, whispering through her gritted teeth, "Yes, Mommy..." She would try to find anything useful, after that, Anna better keep her promise.

Questions, of course she had questions, Kouri wondered on why Anna would let her daughter, a little girl, undertook such a dangerous journey into nothingness, but the words that came out of her lips were different, "It's dark inside, can you give me something bright so I can see?" She needed some sort of light source, going blind into the Void would be point, she needed to spot valuable objects and to do that, she needed to see.

[Annalisa Marin]

Kouri was scared, that much was obvious and the Sorceress honestly could not blame her and were it not for her burning curiosity regarding the Void Anna would not have asked this task of her. In reality there probably wouldn't be anything worth note on The Other Side, however the tall woman needed to know. Kouri could reliably survive the hazards of The Other Side, all Anna needed to do was keep the Portal open so she was not lost for all eternity. It wouldn't be too difficult a task, she just needed to hold a large Portal open long enough for Kouri to get through, shrink it, then widen it again once it was time for her to return.

Still, it might be a good idea to ease her worries a little more and reinforce that Anna did not want the child on The Other Side for too long. The longer she stayed the larger the danger became that she might get lost forever, which the sorceress most certainly did not want. The tall woman pulled Kouri into another hug, cooing softly and making light shushing noises. She felt rather ridiculous honestly, however if it calmed the girl down then it might make this task easier for her.

"Hush now, my girl. It won't be that long. How about this? After you there for five chimes I'll widen the Portal regardless of the tugs and bring you back to This Side. I promise." The dark haired woman whispered, gently rocking the girl in her arms.

Kouri's question regarding the light was something Anna pondered over, as it was a difficult thing to address. Technically she couldn't just give the girl a torch and send her in as there was no air in the Void. However... perhaps a few little scrolls might help as flares, nothing massive but enough to briefly light the darkness every now and again. Not a perfect fix, but it was the only real choice open to her at the moment. Pity she had no idea how to make Magelight like the things in the Caverns.

The Sorceress pulled away from Kouri and moved to the workstation and pulled three pieces of parchment aside, a vial of ink, and a brush. Anna started on the first piece of parchment, drawing a Focus in the center. The large heavily stylized inverted triangle was brought to life as her brush moved quickly and naturally across the parchment, her eyes following every movement. It didn't take long, by the time it was done Anna had already moved on to the Barrier.

Her Barrier was always made up of a ring of smaller stylized geometric shapes around the Focus. This particular Barrier was charged with ideas of "Hold" and "Contain", as it was designed to keep the magic that would be stored within the Focus to that area until the Trigger was activated. Her speed at drawing the Glyphs was rather fast, though it was not as fast as a true natural might have approached it. Yet at least.

Once the Barrier was finished Anna added a little jumble of geometric shapes in the corner of the upper corner of the parchment. Her Trigger for all intents and purposes, the thing that made her scroll actually functional all things considered. Beneath it she would add the conditions to Trigger the scroll in common lettering.

When Fubuki Kouri Snowsong speaks the full phrase designated below the Trigger will activate, lowering the Barrier and release the magic contained within the Focus.

-Illuminate the darkness

Anna repeated the process with the other two scrolls, only making their Trigger activation phrases different to avoid simultaneous activation. They would be Triggered by "Let there be light" and "Fire guide my path". Fifteen chimes later three completed scrolls sat before her, ready to be filled with magic. Anna rolled her shoulders slightly and held out a hand, tugging at the tapestry of her being.

Purple translucent res pooled in the palm of her hand easily and effortlessly, the action almost unconscious and the drain upon her Djed negligible at best for such a low draw. Once enough was gathered and coated most of her upper arm in a shifting liquid sheath of purple the tall woman willed her res outwards from her body. The liquid split off into three balls of hovering purple liquid above their respective scrolls. With a whim Anna willed them to ignite into three purple bolts of flame and speed into the Foci. With this done, her scrolls were primed and ready, the action barely being noticeable in terms of Djed drain.

The sorceress then carefully rolled them up and bound them closed with string, turning her gaze to Kouri holding out her three scrolls for the girl to take. The gaze was critical, as she was very serious when she spoke now. Scroll usage needed to be made very, very clear. Otherwise one could hurt themselves with their own scroll.

"These three scrolls hold a bit of fire reimancy and should help give you limited illumination. NEVER point them at yourself when using them, or you might light yourself on fire. The Trigger phrases can only be activated by you speaking them, do not do so until you are ready to use them. They are as follows, 'Illuminate the darkness', 'Let there be light', and 'fire guide my path'." The sorceress said, pointing to each one as she denoted its trigger.

"They probably won't give you more than a brief glimpse at your surroundings, and you only have three so use them sparingly and be alert. Once you run out that would be a good time to tug the chain if you have not reached the five chime mark. Remember what you are looking for, and only take something if it can fit through the portal I send you through." Anna instructed, nodding to herself.

"That all said... are you ready, my daughter?" Anna inquired, giving the girl a critical eye.

[Fubuki Kouri]

The ghost girl tightly hugged her adoptive mother back by wrapping her small arms around Anna's torso, small sobs started to escape her pale lips accompanied by the frightened hisses of her hair, the serpents followed her motion, hugging the sorceress' shoulders as well. The shushing gesture visibly relaxed the phantom girl, she slowly calmed down. Anna's proposal was answered by a rapid nod from her head, Kouri sighed in relief, nuzzling her cheek on Anna's shoulder, "Okay, Mommy, pull be back". The five chimes time limit provided her with a sense of security. She giggled as Anna gently swayed her weightless body in her warm arms.

Her request regarding light seemed to make Anna ponder, perhaps her mother didn't think of this previously, Kouri felt smart for some reason, though she knew nothing on how to open a portal to nothingness, she made a good suggestion on how to explore said nothingness. The ghost girl released Anna then watched her mother at the workstation, her small form vanished then appeared floating beside Anna in a sitting position on an invisible chair, "Whatcha doing, Mommy?" The parchments gave her a few assumptions, one being Anna wanted to create some glyphs that could produce light, the parchments, brush, and ink certainly gave the image.

The ghost girl watched in silence, absently twirling a serpentine strand of her hair, she liked to watch her mother drawing those neat shapes, she didn't know what each shape meant, but she knew they were magical. After she drew the shape, Anna wrote something, Kouri leaned her head to write the Common words, "Oh? So, when I say 'Illuminate the darkness', the scroll will glow?" It seemed like it, the phrase alone revealed its nature. Mother created two more scrolls, each with different words, I see, each scroll has different phrase to make them glow... The ghost girl put her right hand to hold her chin.

Kouri thought Anna was done, but it seemed the scrolls couldn't glow by themselves, they needed something that actually emit light, in this particular case, Anna used fire. The phantom girl observed as the purple liquid ebbed and flowed as if it was alive, then they separated into three separate spheres, "Woah..." She was fascinated, magic was beautiful when it wasn't used to harm her. "!?" She was slightly startled when the spheres suddenly ignited into flames then disappeared within the scroll, "H-how, how can you do that?!" She couldn't hide her excitement, the thought of storing fire inside a paper never came to her.

Three small tendrils spawned from her right shoulder then each of them grabbed one glyphed scroll, the ghost girl examined them as she listened to Anna's serious words, "I understand, Mommy, I don't want to get burned, you know, ehehe~" She tried to be playful, at least to lift her somber mood. Trigger phrases to unleash the fire, never point it to oneself, got it. She only had three of them so she must conserve them, the suggestion of returning once she ran out of scrolls were very much agreed, "Okay, Mommy, I'll tug the chain once I find something interesting, who knows, maybe they'll have pretty dolls in there! Or uhm... an ice dagger!" Kouri had absolutely no idea what the Void contained, it might be for the best as of this moment.

The thick tendril that slithered on her hand tugged at the chain and the trio of tendrils that held the scroll bobbed up and down, testing their grip. Her serpentine hair hissed in confidence, she was ready, Kouri gave her mother a determined smile, nodding "I'm ready, Mommy!"

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna first turned her attention to Kouri's question regarding Glyphing, she supposed it was rather surprising to a none wizard to witness the charging of a scroll. After all, most people knew that parchment would be burned by fire, rather than be absorbed within it. The tall dark haired woman pondered how best to put it into and explanation that the girl would be able to properly comprehend. The child had a good grasp on magic, latching onto and understanding basic concepts rather easily. However, the more advanced things were rather outside of her comprehension.

"Do you remember when I first had you create a Glyph? A Focus Glyph? Well, if you recall I said that it could be used to channel or store magic, what you just witnessed was the storage. The Barrier Glyph around it makes certain it stays inside the scroll until its triggered and ready for use." Anna explained briefly, taking the other end of the chain.

The girl said she was ready so Anna wasted no time in gathering her focus for this task. This would be the largest Portal she had ever created, most of hers up to the point had been rather tiny things. This one would need to allow Kouri to pass relatively unharmed into The Other Side, meaning it needed to be big enough for a child. That was no easy task and would certainly test her abilities with Voiding.

Anna held out her hand and pointed her finger to a singular area in front of it, focusing on that wellspring within herself. As she focused on gathering her Djed she started up her incantations, still using them to the fullest in order to get the most from the focus they gave. Most other wizards might scoff at their use, but Anna knew exactly how valuable the focus could be, especially when one took part in casting such as what she was doing. Keeping a Void Portal for and extended period of time was rather difficult, no matter the size. Hopefully this would not push her overly much.

"Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla."

"Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla."

"Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla."

Anna found that it was much easier to gain focus and to move her Djed to empty out the point near her finger. It was only ten ticks before Anna felt that familiar sensation of her Djed rushing from her body, and a tiny black dot forming in the air. The sorceress felt powerful, waves of pleasure washing over her as she willed the Portal to slowly expand by feeding it more and more of her Djed.

It was less like trying to place an ocean into a thimble by this point, though it still took more Djed from her than she normally liked. In order to make certain she was comfortable with this expansion, the sorceress first widened the Portal to her former maximum size. The inky black vortex grew until it reached the size of her hand when fully outstretched, devouring her Djed hungrily. The edges of the vortex seemed to have a purplish hue, indicative of it being Anna's portal.

Anna had her full focus upon the portal, her face a mask of the purest concentration as she kept the bridge between This Side and The other Side stable. Once she was comfortable with its stability, the tall woman willed the Portal to expand even larger and she watched as it did indeed grow before her very eyes. Larger and larger it grew, draining more and more of her Djed but it was manageable for now. She halted the growth once it was just slightly bigger than Kouri herself, stepping back a little bit while still feeding it.

She didn't look at Kouri, as she was absorbed fully in the task of keeping the inky black Portal stable so the ghost could go through. Her other hand was firmly gripping her side of the chain, wrapping it a little around it just to make certain there was a good grip. When she spoke her words were spoken short and curtly, as length conversation was difficult when she was so devoted to keeping the large portal open.

"Alright, it should be large enough for you my daughter. Go on through and remember my instructions, I'll be right here keeping the Portal open so don't be afraid." The sorceress said, with what looked like a small smile playing at her lips.

[Fubuki Kouri]

The ghost girl noted Anna's explanation about the glyphs, it looked simple enough once she thought about it. A magical storage scroll to hold magic, her child-like mind could comprehend it. It just fascinated her on how magic could do so many wonderful things, pity that people often used them for hurting others... well unless those others were evil people, she didn't mind. "I see, Mommy, maybe you can store pretty ice statues in there too!" She didn't see why not, if fire could be stored, surely a solid object such as ice could as well.

The ghost girl steeled her resolve as she stood before the particular spot Anna was pointing her finger to, she audibly gulped, her serpentine hair went silent in anticipation. When Anna began her incantations in a language she didn't recognize, Kouri readied herself, the mist swirling around her form gradually disappeared as it flowed back into her being, she wanted to make her presence as small as possible. Then, it appeared, the familiar black dot, Kouri had to stop herself from taking an instinctive back step out of fear. The purple-bordered black portal grew and grew until it was slightly larger than Kouri's whole body. "Okay..." With no further ado, Kouri clenched her fists as she steppd forward into the Void, bringing the chain and three glyphed scrolls with her.

The first step into nothingness, and true to its name, Kouri felt... nothing once she went through the portal. No sound, no light, complete darkness except for the portal directly behind her. Her grip on the chain tightened even further, her soulmist scratching at the surface, anchoring itself, she held the chain like it was her own mother. Kouri turned her head, her crimson eyes couldn't see anything and she didn't sense any soulmist presence around her. Fear began creeping in, when she had traveled forward for about ten feet. A small tendril opened up the scroll as the ghost girl phrased, "Illuminate the darkness". It scared her on how she couldn't hear her own voice, a flash of orange light emitted from the scroll, brightening the area around her for a couple of ticks. The area was mostly empty, except... for a couple of objects floating around her. One in the distance caught her eye, it resembled a long stick, maybe a staff.

"Is that?" The darkness crept back in, "Aaaaargh!" Kouri wanted to see further, she would get that stick, the ghost girl phrased again, "Let there be light!" As soon as the light came, Kouri hunched down and a long tendril launched from her back, heading to the staff, she felt her soulmist making contact with it then quickly wrapped the tendril around the object, then she pulled it back. Kouri couldn't see the object as the light faded so she trailed her hands over it instead, yes, it was a staff. The ghost girl decided to keep it, Anna would be interested. Suddenly, Kouri felt her gut instinct shot up in fear... something was about. The ghost girl used her third and final scroll, "Fire guide my path!" The light flashed to reveal a grotesque humanoid creature with claws and teeth that would put a Yukman to shame. "A... aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" She screamed in fear, but no sound reached her ears.

"M-mommy! Pull me back! Pull me back!!" Kouri desperately tugged at the portal, more than three times, she wanted to get the petch out of this horrible place.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna watched as Kouri moved into the Portal, vanishing from the Sorceress's vision rather quickly at the inky blackness of the Void swallowed her up in its hungry embrace. The tall woman tightened her grip around her end of the chain, making certain that she wouldn’t lose her hold on this end and send Kouri drifting aimlessly in the Void for eternity. As Kouri vanished from sight Anna slowly and carefully willed the Portal to shrink down, sighing as it lessened the drain upon her Djed and the necessary focus to keep it open. She could still feel the urge whispering insidious desires in her ear, to create a portal large enough to consume the whole of the Citadel and devour all her enemies. It was utterly intoxicating but the woman resisted, keeping the now fist sized black vortex stable.

A couple of chimes in and so far there was nothing, no signs of alarm from Kouri and only the continued movement of the chain as Anna carefully fed it to the Portal to ensure the chain didn’t disrupt the outer edges. She fed the small portal more and more of her Djed, feeling the drain but also feeling that she was still within a comfortable area. Voiding was nowhere near as difficult to use or risky as Reimancy had been at this stage for her as a wizard. Anna possessed enough savvy regarding the use of personal magics to know the risks and how to avoid inviting them.

As she stared at the portal Anna reflected on her nightmares as of late, all of which had feature the Void in some form or another. The worst was when she was drifting in that cold place and then those red eyes glared down at her, that petching laugh sounding out through the infinite blackness as her memories were torn from her at a leisurely pace. It was horrible really, but Anna supposed that was the price one paid for delving into the dimension of eternal nothingness. One’s mind would invariably be infected by its ill touch.

After another chime passed Anna noted frantic and hard jerks coming from the chain, so surprised she was by it that she nearly lost her grip on the item. She could feel her arm being drawn the Portal, her fingertips coming dangerously close to brushing it. The icy chill of the Void seeped outwards from the purple bordered portal, sending shivers down Anna’s spine as she corrected her grip and slowly pulled her arm back. The tall woman saw that from her break in concentration the portal started to shift erratically and actually start to close by an inch or two dangerously. Anna quickly fed the Portal more Djed, taking up her incantations again in order to keep her focus on keeping the link steady.

“Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla.”

“Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla.”

“Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla.”

The vortex slowly started to expand once more, stabilizing at it did and as Anna started to coil the chain around her arm. She knew that this likely would not be enough so the tall wizard gritted her teeth in concentration as she willed a light repulsive Push to exert from the Portal. Anna’s robes fluttered up around her as the repulsive force was placed upon the bridge between This Side and The Other Side. She fell the energy pushing against her, not oppressively but enough to give her all little bit of extra tug upon the chain.

This however translated into an increased drain upon her Djed as not only was the Portal now slightly bigger than Kouri, but it was also exerting a Push. This required her utmost focus to pull off, her full concentration being given to keeping the Portal both steady and acting with a repulsive force. Anna found the amount of Djed drained from her was directly proportional to two main factors, the size of the Portal, and if it possessed Push or Pull. At the moment the tall sorceress was maintaining a rather large Portal, which also possessed a Push no matter how light. Still Anna felt she could continue to keep control, she needed to get Kouri back to This Side.